Etymologically
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altitonans

Etymology and origin of the Latin word altitonans

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Ennius
Ultimate origin
Latin (altus,tonō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [aɫˈtɪ.tɔ.nãːs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [alˈtiː.to.nans][1]

Forms

altitonāns (genitive altitonantis); third-declension one-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of altē “on high” or altus “high” and tonāns, the present participle of tonō “to thunder”.[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its earliest source is Ennius' Annals, Iuppiter altitonāns.[4][3] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant thundering from on high, high-thundering, of Jupiter, as in Ennius and Cicero's pater altitonāns.[2][3] It survives in Italian altitonante.[1]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.[3][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.[3][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Thundering on high (of Jupiter).[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Altitonans.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/altitonans. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·